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Opinions before we take the plunge

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emtimme

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
7
Hi there! I'm seeking opinions before I set my boyfriend loose to buy this diamond from James Allen:

.8 Carat
Round Brilliant
GIA Excellent Cut
VS2 Clarity
Excellent Symmetry
Excellent Polish
No Fluorescence


Table: 57%
Depth: 61.5%
Crown Angle: 35%
Pavillion Angle: 40.8%
Girdle: Medium faceted
Measurements: 5.99x5.97x3.68

Now for the tricky part--it's a K. I prefer warm diamonds, so I don't think it will be a problem. Plus, I swear I've read every K color thread on Pricescope--plenty of beauties! But I know they're not everyone's taste.

Color aside, to your trained eyes (based on this ideal scope image and the stats) is it a good choice? I did my research, I know it should perform well based on the numbers, but I'm still nervous. Probably the stigma attached to the color that's nagging at me. I suppose what I'm really after is validation.

My other question is this: can someone please end the debate for best setting choice for a warm colored diamond? I'd really prefer a 14k rose gold solitaire (JA Timeless Setting: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/White-Gold-2-1mm-Timeless-Engagement-Ring.html)--will this be a mistake?

Thank you--this forum has been very helpful to me as I lurked and attempted to educate myself over the past few months! :D

ideal-scope.jpg
 
Did you ask teh JA gemologist to have a look at it and give an opinion on light return?

One of the first stones I looked at when my fi and I were looking for a stone was a K. It had really nice performance. I was actually going to suggest it to you when I saw you were looking at a K, but it is gone now. It was the stone I used as the template for light return on all the others I looked at. It sparkled like crazy (but ended up feeling like way too much color for me).

Here was it's info anyway for reference for you, if it helps at all:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/K-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1397797.asp

and it's idealscope:

1397797id.jpg

So now, on to your questions. The K I linked to above that I had in had a brown tint to it and so when my jeweler looked at it he recommended not putting it in white gold but to use yellow (but I bet rose would have been interesting). I think the metal you choose may depend a bit on the "flavor" of color it has in it and I get varying recommendations depending on the aesthetic of the person giving the recommendation. Mine was going in a halo, so color was a concern. Yours is going in a solitaire, and so I think the first step would be to ask the JA gemologist to also tell you what color it leans to, in their opinion, when they give you a run down of it' performance.

Are you also going to have it set by JA? You may want to see if they can tell you about the color first and then come back here and discuss it some more.

I think rose might be a good option for it, as I bet it would enhance whatever shade of color it is leaning to, but other more experienced people here on the board may have better opinions for you.

I think the IS image looks pretty good (there's a little bit of paleness in the middle to me, but some of that depends on who did the photography and so forth). The best bet is to have the gemologist eyeball it and give you a run down of color and light performance.
 
Thank you so much for responding!

That diamond looks beautiful! A shame it's no longer available, it's so similar to what I'm looking at (but better! :rodent: ).

Here's what the JA gemologist had to say about it: "Very bright and has great light performance. Eye clean and has a true "K" color with a warmth that has a faint yellow to it."

He was comparing it to two other K choices I was considering. One, he said, performed less brilliantly. The other was a contender with the same description. The one that did not fare as well had a brown tint and scored higher on the HCA. I understand that this is mainly a tool for rejection--I just found it interesting.

Is this kind of a canned response for diamond newbies like me? Is there anything else I should ask? My boyfriend likely already made plans to purchase it, as the hold expires tomorrow. If something doesn't check out, I'll certainly take advantage of their generous return policy.

I'm attaching the Ideal Scope of the diamond that performed poorly by comparison. Ironically--it is the darkest of the images that were attached to the report. Is this cause for concern?

Back to the setting conundrum, while I like yellow gold, I would prefer to avoid it as my engagement ring setting. Any thoughts on whether the perceived yellow in the warmth would clash with the rose I have my heart set on?

I bombarded the JA design department (they will be setting it) with questions before we heard back about the diamonds--they reassured me that it would look great but couldn't offer any other advice. I will email the representative who passed along the report to see if he has an opinion, and will hope to hear yours and others in the meantime.

Thanks again!

ideal-scope-2.jpg
 
huh- I don't know. Did the gemologist say anything about why it would have performed less well? Is there some inclusion in it that was going to interfere with performance? (One stone I looked at would have had a great IS, except that the inclusion in it interfered with the performance per the gemologist). If the second IS seemed brighter (ie redder), but the gemologist doesn't concur on the performance, I'd probably ask why, if it were me because I think they both look fine. (Did you run the numbers on both of these through the HCA?).

In the end, I think it's the final eyeball opinion that's the most important if everything else is similar. I guess I'd ask for clarification about the one that they said wouldn't perform as well and why (or maybe someone with a lot ore experience can give a shout on that second image) but those images are photographs, and so, IMO subject to possible human error so who knows why one was darker than the other. (Maybe the gemologist would know?)

I also had kind of the opposite experience on one. The HCA was not so good (over 2), but it looked pretty, the IS was less than wonderful, but the gemologist said that was a bad image and it was a great performer. At that point I felt it had 2 strikes out of 3, so I nixed it and got the K brought in (which got great on everything)...so I don't know what is up with your second one.

I like the idea of rose gold with the tinted diamond. Rose has nice color without being more "in your face" so to speak, like yellow gold would be and seems like it would play well with the tint. I think white would be chancy.

The only other thing I can think of based on looking at the 2 images is the KIND of light return you might get. The one you have on hold has got thinner arrow lines (the lower half facet length, probably close to 80 on it) and so this makes it look a certain way, whereas the other one has thicker arrow lines (I bet the lower facet length is closer to 76) and that can make some difference in how it handles light. I like them thicker, not the thinner, tiny pinflash kind you get with the longer lower half facet. I don't think it would be a reason for a gemologist to ding something, since they are bothy just flavors of round brilliants, but I'm no expert.
 
both idealscope images look great. the JA gemologist is actually viewing the diamonds though.

have you seen K color diamonds in person?
 
Thanks again for the input! The gemologist described the light performance of my preferred stone as 'great' and said it is very bright. He described the light performance of the "less desirable" stone as 'nice' and said it was not as bright as my other option. Both are VS2 clarity and confirmed eye-clean.

Perhaps his analysis was based on the reason you considered, and its "flavor" of performance was not his preference. I did follow up via email to inquire more about their differences. I hope he can provide a little bit more info in layman's terms, and am anxious to hear the verdict.

I'm confident that either of these will be beautiful to my untrained eye--I'm just hoping to make the best possible decision.

As to seeing Ks in person… I haven't (knowingly) had the pleasure. I've definitely seen Js and lower (probably M-O). I've also seen many pushy diamond salesmen, so I've been doing most of my window shopping online.

One J I particularly admired in person (a cushion), looked warm but unbelievably white to me. I guess I'm not particularly color-sensitive, and I do prefer the warmer tones anyway. I'm hoping the K is just the ticket once I get my hands on it.

I should really just take a breath and stop questioning the professionals!
 
The danger I see is that if you buy the K and then are unhappy with the color 3 months from now, you are pretty stuck. I would only get a stone like that from a vendor with a no-minimum trade-in policy, personally. I've just seen a couple of people around here change their mind on K color after awhile. I think stones with a brown/champagne tint look good in rose gold but I am not sure how I'd feel about a more yellow tint.
 
Thank you for your honest opinion! Would I potentially avoid that fate by increasing my color minimum to J? Will that be enough?

Diamonds in my price range, meeting my "dream" requirements, seem few and far between. If I make the move to I, I'm looking to jump from a .8ct to a .64ct. I realize that's the price I pay for quality.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1473334.asp

And here is an example of a J, .72ct:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1480751.asp

Do you think it would make more sense to pursue either of these instead? Honestly speaking, if the color is an improvement, would I even notice the slight size difference from K-->J?
 
I have a 2 carat J and I love it. i am not color sensitive but the only slight tint I see is from the side in certain lighting. Otherwise, the diamond always looks white and beautiful. My diamond also has strong blue fluorescence.

A J may be worth looking into, particularly with fluorescence as long as it has an excellent cut. The one you posted is a poorly cut diamond. edited....it appears to be an excellent cut diamond. I am mistaken. It said it was a poor cut diamond but the certificate and diamond appear to be otherwise.
 
The .72 J stone has medium yellow flourescence listed on the GIA certificate but says medium blue on the JA listing. I'd want to check out that inconsistency particularly if you were hoping for a blue flourescence .
 
Aghh, you're right--I knew there was a reason this diamond seemed familiar. I asked that JA examine it along with two other choices but they discouraged me from it because the fluorescence IS yellow.

I've had a very difficult time finding a truly excellently cut VS2 J diamond around .7-.75ct (without yellow fluor.) in my price range (up to $2200ish). Now that I've used up my Ideal Scope image request with JA, is my best bet to continue exploring other online vendors?

We may still purchase the .8ct K and hope for the best, returning if it doesn't meet my expectations. JA patiently responded to my most recent inquiry about the Ideal Scope image and reiterated that it is a fabulous stone and great choice.
 
You might consider giving ID Jewelry a call. Look up a few threads with their name. There's 2 names that come up repeatedly, Yeuketiel (sp?) and a lady. Apparently, they have managed some pretty amazing things on tight budgets. I think your supposed to say you are from Pricescope, and what you are looking for and budget.
 
You may have read a thread that I had on K colored round brilliants. I'm not particularly color sensitive either, and thought that by considering a K I could stretch the budget a bit and get a larger stone. In the end though I decided to go with a J. I had never seen a K in person and I was really interested to know what others thought of them. I got a very varied response. Some people love their K's and some just thought that they did, or tried very hard too and in the end just couldn't, still others hated them. :wink2: I just couldn't find the easy answer that I was looking for so I decided to play it safe and go with a J, of course some would still consider this too warm, but I was comfortable with the decision based on the fact that I have a I step cut which tends to show more warmth than brilliants. I wish that someone could just tell you, 'yes! you will love it, a K is not so different from a J' but no one seemed able to tell me that. And I think that so much will have to do with the hue of the body color. I think that a brown hue would appear whiter than a yellow hue, but I couldn't say that for sure either, nor did I have the patience to send diamonds back and forth trying to find just the right color. Your diamond choice looks beautiful though. =) I think if it were me I wouldn't set a diamond with a yellow hue in rose gold, but if it had a brown hue I think that it would be gorgeous. I was googling images of rose gold erings last night and they had some amazing photos of rose gold rings with stones with a brownish tone. :love: :love:
 
I have a K for my engagement ring. I LOVE it! It is an antique cushion and it's really white and bright. I can see yellow sometimes when I photograph the ring. This is probably due to my bad photography skills. I find high color stones look 'blue' to me, which I really dislike. I prefer a warmer stone. To me, my K cushion looks more 'white' because it does not have that blue tinge that I see in E & F stones. I say go for it! As long as you can return the stone if you dislike it in person. I think it would look nice in white, yellow or rose gold. I would go with whatever looks best with your skin tone and what gold you prefer. I think they would all work with the diamond.
 
Hi again! First, thanks to both of you for your kind words of reassurance. :)

Christina, yes, I do remember reading your K thread! It was very informative and part of the reason that I both considered and still worry about the color. ;) I really hope that, upon seeing it in person, I identify as part of the "I love it--it's not so different from a J!" camp. If not, I will need to return it and my hunt for a J will commence.

RedheadDoll, It's great to hear from a satisfied K owner. Your cushion is gorgeous and I adore the setting you chose! I love the look of antique stones and wish I had a budget for JbEG pieces (in the size I'm after, anyway). I'm definitely with you on preferring warmth--there's just something classic and romantic about it.

I'm trying to leave fate in the hands of my boyfriend for now. I think he's probably made plans with JA by now, so I'm making the decision to no longer stress about it. I know I prefer rose gold, so we'll have to wait and see if the stone color disagrees with it. It's such a shame that JA deemed 3rd stone not worth considering given my options--it had a brown tint that definitely would've looked beautiful in rose.

Thanks again for taking the time to talk this through with me!
 
Oops, and thanks again to you bastetcat! If I wind up back at the drawing board, I'll definitely give ID Jewelry a call. :)
 
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